Maria Fiter Designs Eco Friendly Lamps

Polish designer Maria Fiter designs sustainable lamps made from papier-mache. Having studied History of Art in Cracow, Poland, she went on to found her studio, Crea-Re, in Barcelona in 2013. “I’ve always liked manual work—painting, sewing, making furniture,” shared Fiter in an interview with the Etsy blog. “During the Erasmus internship, while working with wood, I realized that I really like lamps,” she added.

“I wanted to be eco-friendly, and when I learned that paper maché can be made out of newspaper I was very happy that I could reuse what people were throwing away,” she went on to explain. Her lamps are made of collected newspapers from bars and her friends. “It’s great when you can reuse things that already exist and give them a second life,” says Fiter.

Other people seem to enjoy her designs just as well. Her eco friendly lamps have been featured in publications like Vogue UK, Elle Decoration, and Design Milk, and amongst her selected clients and retailers you can find Heal’s, Soho House Barcelona, and Sip Stone Restaurant Belfast Airport.

Her work oscillates between art and design, with her passion for sculpture visible in the organic shapes of every lamp. Each new design project starts out as a vision for a series of rough but elegant lamps with a nod to nature. “First I think about what I could make and I start doing some sketches,” she relays, describing her creative process. “Once I know the shape I want, I think about which mold would serve me best. I use different kinds of molds: Some are balloons, some are cardboard, some are made with funnels, and one lamp, the Metamorfozis, is made from a Coke bottle mold.”

“I think about people who like natural materials, like paper or wood,” says Fiter. “That’s the kind of person I am; I like these materials in my home, too. I also think about making things that are quite simple in design.” But though the design is quite simple, the result is nothing short of striking. Take a look for yourself:

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Sensi III Red Ocher lamp made from paper mache.

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